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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Capital Gain<\/p>\n A couple with a love of mid-century design, and two adventurous architects who were not afraid to push the boundaries, have returned an unusual \u201970s home to its former glory.<\/p>\n Kevin Borland, a post-war Australian architect, regularly pushed boundaries, and his approach to an unusual house in Melbourne\u2019s Glen Iris was no exception. Fast-forward 50 years and there\u2019s synergy in the couple\u2019s decision to choose contemporary architects, WOWOWA \u2013 also known for their adventurous stance \u2013 to update their mid-1970s Borland-designed house.<\/p>\n Featured in Belle magazine in 1978, the home\u2019s dramatic raked ceiling covering the atrium is visible \u2013 at least in form \u2013 from the leafy street. Now heritage-listed (only during the architects\u2019 documentation phase), the house could have easily been demolished in the years before that.<\/p>\n Fortunately, a couple with a love of mid-century design purchased the property and were keen to see it restored to its former glory. \u201cThe house was in virtually original condition, but it lacked the thermal qualities one expects today. Our clients had to wear puffer jackets inside, particularly during winter,\u201d says architect Monique Woodward, principal and creative director of WOWOWA.<\/p>\n Given the sensitivity of renovating a house of this ilk, Woodward and her team were keen to \u201ctweak\u201d wherever possible.<\/p>\n Related Article The house originally had a palm tree in the atrium. Decades later, the indoor brick garden bed in which the palm grew, for years filled with weeds, has been replanted \u2013 a relatively easy task. But the atrium\u2019s soaring, single-pane windows and the home\u2019s lack of insulation required a bigger fix \u2013 double-glazing for the entire house that ate up a considerable chunk of the budget.<\/p>\n Although the Borland house responded to open-plan living, something that\u2019s preferred today, the galley-style kitchen wasn\u2019t large enough and didn\u2019t provide a strong link to the back-of-house amenities such as the laundry, pantry and powder room.<\/p>\n WOWOWA opened up the kitchen to the dining area, extending the dining room\u2019s bay window an extra 800 millimetres. \u201cThe original nook wasn\u2019t large enough for a proper dining table. It was just too tight,\u201d says Woodward, who also removed an exterior spiral steel staircase that led to literally nowhere \u2013 just a small landing above. This was replaced with a built-in curved seating nook, following Borland\u2019s aesthetic.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the outset, we felt like we were custodians,\u201d says Woodward.<\/p>\n Marble benches might be de rigueur today, but the kitchen\u2019s joinery was replaced using two-pack yellow paint that was popular in the mid-1970s. Shadow lines in the joinery also respond to Borland\u2019s designs.<\/p>\n When it came to upgrading the bathrooms, the tiles couldn\u2019t be saved. However, many of them were reused from the backyard swimming pool (the larger pool was replaced with a smaller circular one). As with Borland\u2019s signature, these tiles have been arranged in a stripey pattern.<\/p>\n And in both the kitchen and bathrooms, the original timber was reused for the benches \u2013 removed and re-sanded on site. \u201cFrom what I\u2019m told, the joiner responsible for the cabinetry work was the first female joiner in Victoria,\u201d says Woodward, who is still searching for her name.<\/p>\n One of the main structural changes in the floor plan, which includes three bedrooms and a study, was reworking the mezzanine study overlooking the atrium. Previously tucked behind a wall, it is now framed in glass that allows it to feel integral to the atrium, akin to sitting on an outdoor terrace.<\/p>\n Although the past has been carefully traced, there was also an opportunity to create a \u201cvoice\u201d that is new, but still speaks to Borland\u2019s design. The music room, for example, features a new Japanese-style wallpaper that provides a nod to Australian modernism \u2013 a time when architects such as Robin Boyd took inspiration from Japan.<\/p>\n Woodward sees her practice as having a strong visual language \u2013 using colour bravely where others opt for \u201cbeige\u201d. \u201cWe were conscious from the start that it shouldn\u2019t feel like a museum or be a parody of the original design. It was important to get the \u2018dial\u2019 exactly right, but a place that also felt comfortable to be in,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/626c060070305c0664bfc139267a3c54c9e91ef7.jpeg\")
A couple with a love of mid-century design purchased the property and were keen to see it restored to its former glory.Sean Fennessy<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/303b677fd447022a06e6bb1b291f3c22511bfed1.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7269517a4a802ef0abfef11dc061d9c29f53e729.jpeg\")
One of the main structural changes in the floor plan, which includes three bedrooms and a study, was reworking the mezzanine study overlooking the atrium.Sean Fennessy<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fa876e37b118b875f481868c5f2ebe22c542c391.jpeg\")
The kitchen\u2019s joinery was replaced using two-pack yellow paint that was popular in the mid-1970s.Sean Fennessy<\/p>\n![\"WOWOWA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5b67b4274584e180d13da4072179525590217ca5.jpeg\")
WOWOWA opened up the kitchen to the dining area, extending the dining room\u2019s bay window.Sean Fennessy<\/p>\n
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